Sharing is caring!

Keep your skin glowing all season long with a summer skin care checklist!

Living in the United States, especially the Midwest, we encounter many seasonal changes. When summer finally appears on the horizon it can play havoc on the skin. The extra long days, intense sunshine, and dips in the pool can lead to dry flaky skin or summer acne! That’s where a summer skin care checklist comes in handy. Add the following steps to your skin care routine to help you bounce back when the mercury rises on the thermometer.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience, read the full disclosure policy.

Related: 8 Incredible DIY Green Tea Beauty Recipes

Related: 20 Essential Ingredients for DIY Natural Skincare

Your Summer Skin Care Checklist and Routine for Beautiful Skin:

Cleanse

While this may seem like a freshman college course, “Skin Care 101” cleansing is the most important step in your skin care routine. After working in the garden or just plain enjoying the sunshine it’s crucial that you cleanse your skin to remove sweat, oil, and dirt.

I recommend using a non-exfoliating cleanser so you can control how often you exfoliate your skin. Too much exfoliating can lead to excess oil production. And who wants an oily sheen? Try my recipe for a gentle Aloe Vera Face Wash and softening Summer Rain Body Wash made with shea butter!  

Exfoliate

Often an overlooked step in skin care routines, exfoliation is what really takes your skin a step above! If you’ve been fighting with moisturizers and cleansers with constant dry to oil results than you’ve probably been missing exfoliation.

Exfoliating is really your prep work to prime your skin for moisturizing. It does not only shed dull, dead skin cells but allows your skin to absorb the nutrients in your moisturizer more readily. And it’s known to speed up the production of collagen resulting in a more youthful appearance.

Cleanse, exfoliate, tighten, and replenish skin with some of my favorite citrus scents! Incredibly sweet and refreshing Key Lime DIY Sugar Scrub Bars are sure to please. Use one in the shower without the mess.

Or opt for a Cilantro and Lime Salt Glow in the bath. It uses a mixture of salt, nourishing apricot oil, vitamin E and fresh ingredients to make your skin feel like new! I recommend that you exfoliate once to three times a week depending on your skin type and the condition of your skin.

Moisturize

Time spent outdoors in the sun or soaking in the pool can lead to dry skin from head to toe! Moisturizing is an essential step in your summer skin care checklist. It is basically the equivalent of your skin downing a huge bottle of water, thus quenching its thirst! And need I mention, keeping your skin hydrated helps prevent wrinkles?!?

Start with a Chocolate Mint Nourishing Heel Salve to lock in moisture like nothing else I’ve tried! Apply it to dry, cracked, or rough areas on feet.

Slather on homemade Whipped Body Butter for intense moisturizing. I recommend it for dry elbows and knees in the summer.

Last, apply Chamomile Lip Balm loaded with organic cocoa butter, chamomile, sweet almond, and coconut oil to soften your lips as often as needed.

Protect

It can’t be said enough, “Get into the habit of wearing sunscreen”! One of the best things you can do for your skin not just in the summertime – is to protect it!

All that UV can lead to wrinkles, sun spots or a serious concern – skin cancer. I had a recent skin cancer scare and I told the dermatologist how careful I am. He said when it comes to cancer it’s often not what we’ve done in recent years, but we did in the past.

I sure spent a lot of time in the sun as a child and teen. So, make applying sunscreen a priority for you and your family. If you or your little one spends a lot of time in the pool, you’ll need a sunscreen that stays on in the water like this Non-Toxic Homemade Sunscreen from Pronounce. It contains 20% zinc oxide (the good kind of zinc) and is easy to make!

Hydrate

Considering we are made up of over 50% water, staying hydrated during this hot time of the year is a must! And according to an old rule of thumb, you’re supposed to drink eight glasses of water or more per day. While I happen to love drinking water, I know many of you may struggle with this.

First off, try adding lemon, strawberries, mint or all three to your water for more taste. If that doesn’t do it for you, consume foods with high water content like cucumber, watermelon, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, or grapefruit to name a few.

Stay Cool

It’s important to keep an eye on your body’s water levels both inside and out. When the temperature heats up to cool down quickly use a Cooling Essential Oil Body Mist. Made with only four natural ingredients, you’ll wish you made it sooner! It’s light enough not to ruin your makeup. And it will leave you feeling refreshed all the while keeping your skin hydrated.

Nourish

I know we’re talking about a skin care checklist, but we can’t forget to keep our hair nourished during the summer. Use this all-natural DIY Hair Conditioner made with shea butter guaranteed to keep your hair soft even in the heat! And if you’ve been swimming or just hanging your head out the window on the highway get the tangles out with a homemade Conditioning Hair Detangler.

 

Summer heat can truly lead to dry skin from head to toe! So pin this summer skin care checklist to comeback and ensure your skin is beautiful and healthy all season long.

 

Do you have normal, dry, mature, oily, or combination skin? Take our Skin Type Quiz now to discover yours!